Itachi To Hebi A Tale of Meiji Ninja
by ChaosBurnFlame
Summary: After the events of Tanuki To Ryuu Chapter 17, Aoshi and Misao leave for Kyoto. What adventures await the ninja duo?


Itachi To Hebi  
  
Well, here it is! The Aoshi/Misao fic! Since its about ninja and  
stuff, this fic will be more about mystery and intrique with romance  
than about action/adventure. Thus it'll be a slightly different flavor  
from Tanuki To Ryuu. Speaking of which, this fic starts after the  
events in Tanuki To Ryuu Chapter 17, so reading the fic will help with  
knowing whats going on, but not nessisarily needed. Well, I think this  
is a bit too much for a preface, so I think we should dive into the fic  
now.  
  
Chapter 1: The Voyage Home  
  
Makimachi Misao sat under the shade of a large tree. She  
enjoyed the wonders of nature, especially with Aoshi. They were both  
taking a break from the long trek back to Kyoto after the Kamiya  
wedding. Misao flexed her arms and thought seriously for a moment.  
She still had to hone some skills, she realized from her encounter with  
that naginata woman. In frustration Misao struck the tree with a  
backhand slap. The tree shook slightly from the blow that forced  
several of its leaves from the branches and they fell all on Misao's  
head. Aggrivated even further, Misao swatted at the leaves in her  
hair, then noticed Aoshi's small smile.  
  
"Its not THAT funny!" Misao protested. "I'm NOT a prop comic!"  
Misao felt her aggrivation rise to the point where she couldn't take it;  
that small crease of a smile that seemed to mock and punish her. Misao  
grabbed one of her kunai and threw it right at Aoshi. Aoshi caught the  
small dagger inbetween his thumb and index finger with practiced ease.  
  
"You have a strong throw and excellent aim," Aoshi stated as his  
face went back to expressionless, "but you transmit your intentions far  
too easily. Kunai are best thrown subtly," To emphasis his point,  
Aoshi's hand twitched slightly and Misao felt a small breeze next to her  
head and saw the kunai was stuck in the tree trunk a good 2 inches away  
from her face. The proximity of the throw immediately freaked Misao  
out.  
  
"AHH!" Misao screamed in surprised and leapt a few feet away  
from her sitting position. She then glared at Aoshi. "I know I've  
been trying to make you laugh, Aoshi-sama, but I do NOT wish for it to  
be at my expense!"  
  
Aoshi, though, ignored Misao's protests and grabbed his pack.  
"The winds have shifted. There's a scent of blood in the air. Stay  
where you are," Aoshi ordered before he lept into the trees with his  
twin kodachi in their false nodachi sheath.  
  
Misao felt insulted yet again and leapt after him. "Hey, I'm  
not useless you know!" she shouted as she hopped through the  
treebranches after Aoshi. Misao stopped on the same limb when Aoshi  
held his hand out and looked down. Below them was a small boar,  
wounded by an arrow in its side with obvious signs that its hunter was  
nowhere in sight. "The poor thing," Misao said in sympathy. "Can you  
help it, Aoshi-sama?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," Aoshi replied. "The arrow struck a vital  
organ and I doubt it would live for another hour," Misao's face held  
shock and grief. "For now, its best if we put the beast out of its  
misery." Aoshi prepared to leap off the branch when Misao grabbed his  
arm.  
  
"Are you sure you can't save it, Aoshi-sama?" Misao pleaded with  
unhappy eyes. Aoshi didn't wish to hurt the young girl so he thought  
of a way to explain it.  
  
"Every creature must know peace, Misao," Aoshi stated. "Living  
in pain or fear is a terrible thing to endure. This is the only way I  
can save it." Misao nodded and released his arm, then turned away as  
Aoshi leapt off the branch. Misao grimiced as she heard the animal  
wail from a slice of Aoshi's kodachi. Aoshi cleaned off his blade,  
then shouted up to Misao, "Alright, lets keep moving,"  
  
***  
  
With a somber tone they set up camp that night. Aside from his  
fight with Okina, Misao never saw Aoshi draw blood with his weapons.  
At the moment Misao felt very disillusioned. The choice to kill seemed  
like a very powerful choice yet Aoshi made it without waver. Misao  
herself wondered if she too could make such a choice one day with such  
little hesitation. Aoshi started the fire and took out a small bento.  
  
"We should arrive in Kyoto by tomorrow," Aoshi said to make  
conversation. Even though he would not admit it, he missed Misao's  
random banter. "The days grow shorter still." Aoshi noticed Misao  
still kept quiet. "You are silent this evening, Misao," he observed.  
  
"Its nothing, Aoshi-sama," Misao responded as she sat down and  
hugged her knees to her chest. Aoshi surveyed the young girl with  
expressionless eyes and Misao just looked down at her bare knees and  
rocked herself in uncertainty.  
  
"Its been eight years since you last learned kempo from Hannya,  
correct?" Aoshi asked. Misao nodded.  
  
"Yeah, when you all left," Misao stated, the memory sinking her  
spirits even further. Aoshi knew Misao was a strong girl, but her  
spirit could only take so much, so he decided to lift them.  
  
"You need a new master," Aoshi stated. Misao looked up at him  
with a surprised look on her face.  
  
"What?!" Misao shouted in surprise. She half suspected another  
cruel joke from Aoshi and kept her suspicion.  
  
"Hannya gave you a good base to work off of. You need to  
increase your level of strength and speed to become truly formidable,"  
Aoshi answered. "You also have the perfect heritage for true  
training."  
  
"True training?" Misao asked, confused at Aoshi's choice of  
words.  
  
"You were the dear granddaughter of the last Okashira. We  
taught you in respect, but never thought of using you as an agent,"  
Aoshi answered honestly. "Thus the training you received was very  
different than usual."  
  
"How is it different?" Misao asked as she stood up and walked to  
Aoshi, who still sat calmly. "I can hear better, smell better, track  
animals and men! I can decieve, sneak around, and fight!" To  
emphasis her point, Misao kicked at Aoshi's face and missed his head by  
mere milimeters. Aoshi's expression, however, didn't waver.  
  
"At skills that are impressive compared to normal ninja, but  
nowhere near that of a field agent of the Onibawanshuu," Aoshi  
responded. Misao dropped out of her fighting stance and sat down cross  
legged and hmphed.  
  
"So you'll REALLY teach me?" Misao asked in suspicion.  
"Because I'm not a little girl asking for little tricks, you know,"  
  
"I always keep my word," Aoshi responded. Inside his ice cold  
features, Aoshi smiled to himself but kept the smile away from his lips.  
He liked the fiery Misao more than the one that moped around. Further  
training in what it truly means to be an Onibawanshuu agent would be  
sure to keep that fire lit.  
  
***  
  
The next morning started with Aoshi running towards Kyoto at his  
top speed. Misao's training was to keep him in sight and try her best  
to appear nonexistant. So far Misao was barely able to keep Aoshi in  
her range of vision. Misao focused and pumped her legs even faster  
when Aoshi blurred into his watery movement and before Misao knew it he  
was behind her.  
  
"You have to conceal yourself, Misao," Aoshi reminded her. "If  
you focus hard enough you can barely catch up to my speed, but there are  
better ways to track a subject of interest."  
  
Misao put her hand on a nearby tree and leaned on it slightly.  
She leaned on the tree for a few seconds as she caught her breath. "I  
don't understand," Misao confessed.  
  
Aoshi took out a small map of the local area. "We are around  
here," Aoshi stated as he pointed to the heavily woodened area. "As  
you can see, a nearby trail is not far. You knew my destination, thus  
you could have circled around me. Once a target thinks he's no longer  
pursued, he drops his speed. If you know his destination, you have an  
even greater advantage to get ahead and find the best places to hide and  
spy."  
  
"Alright, I GUESS it makes sense," Misao answered. "But I  
thought you were going to make me faster and stronger as well," she  
added as she calmed her heartrate and took her arm off the tree.  
  
"That training is something entirely different," Aoshi answered.  
"This is merely to teach you the way to think like a true Onibawanshuu  
agent. Everything else will be taught when I show you more kempo when  
we get back. Training for today has ceased. Lets move on." Aoshi  
started to walk at a normal pace towards Kyoto and Misao followed  
behind.  
  
"You'll teach me kempo, Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked her companion  
as they continued their trek.  
  
"Of course," Aoshi responded. "You need to realize it will  
take time for you to reach Hannya's level, or even my own, correct?  
Not to mention you will have to choose a weapon soon."  
  
"A weapon?" Misao repeated in a questioning tone. "Why would I  
need a weapon?"  
  
"If not for offense but for defense." Aoshi replied. "Before I  
studied Kodachi Nitoh Ryu, I used a single kodachi for defense with my  
kempo. Hannya used steel lined gauntlets to turn aside his opponent's  
swords as well. Okina used steel tonfa to block his opponent's swords  
as well. For maximum defense, a weapon would be most wise."  
  
"Can you teach me how to use a kodachi, Aoshi-sama?" Misao  
requested, happily.  
  
"Yes," Aoshi responded.  
  
***  
  
Before Aoshi and Misao reached the outskirts of Kyoto, Aoshi  
convinced Misao to change out of her ninja clothing. Aoshi was  
changing into something more conventional as well. The authorities of  
Kyoto started to crack down more on people sighted or suspected of  
carrying weapons, thus precautions were nessisary.  
  
"Are you done yet, Misao?" Aoshi asked from the other side of  
the tree as he packed away his ninja garb.  
  
"Yeah, just about!" Misao chirped back, then stepped around the  
tree to face Aoshi. Aoshi looked at Misao in absolute surprise. She  
was wearing that dark blue kimono Kaoru had gotten her, with her hair  
out of the braid and tied in a white ribbon. Misao noticed the way  
Aoshi was looking at her. "Oh no, I didn't get the obi right?" Misao  
fretted and looked down at her obi to make sure it was properly tied.  
  
"Its tied properly, Misao," Aoshi assured her. "I am confused,  
however, as to why you are dressed in a kimono. I assumed you disliked  
wearing traditional women's garb."  
  
"Oh, its not so bad," Misao replied with an evil grin. "Ok ok,  
I want to freak out everyone out when we get back to the Aoiya!" she  
fessed up then grinned and added, "I think it'll work well since I  
surprised even YOU! I wonder how the girls will react? Hehehe!"  
  
"If you wish to give them a surprise, then it shall be assured,"  
Aoshi stated.  
  
***  
  
Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter! I kept having  
problems figuring out how to write Aoshi and Misao's interaction without  
making it OOC! Yes, they'll be affectionate eventually! Yes, I don't  
know when! Yes, I talk like this! Anyways, I always thought that  
Misao could make Aoshi smile more by being her usual energetic/cute  
self(with the occasional clumsiness) than by trying to tell jokes, thus  
why they fit together! Misao a trickster? YUP!  
  
Oh, and in Chapter 2, you shall see how the Aoiya gang reacts to  
Misao's new look and some weapons training for Misao! Oh, and the  
question: Who is the Okashira?!?! 


End file.
